My first Georgia marathon, and I was looking forward to a small-town, no-pressure event. I got it. Stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn right at the start/finish, and close to the "Mardi Gras" and bike races later that day. Weather was great, course was fine (a couple of small inclines), and the spectators were surprisingly numerous. I ran the fastest I had run in 4 years, thanks to Jim Crist and the 4:30 pace group.

A big thanks to all of the volunteers, especially those at the water stops and intersections. I'm not the fastest, and it was great to always have plenty available of whatever I needed - bananas, Snickers Marathon bars (my personal favorite, natch!), oranges, etc.

Would definitely recommend this to anyone.

This is one of the most friendly, well-organized races around. It's easy to park, easy to check your bag, easy to find a spot at the starting line, and the course is well-suited to running a fast time. While the course is not particularly scenic for the first half of the race, the volunteers were out in full force and were so friendly that it made the miles pass by quickly. Traffic control was excellent, water stops were plentiful, and there were enough participants that I always had other runners in sight but never had to jockey for position. I also like that the half marathoners split off very early in the race, so we were not running in a crowd one minute and suddenly heading out to do 13 more miles while most everyone else headed to the finish. This year they had pace groups, and I ran with one for most of the middle miles, which really helped. The finish is at a park along a river, and the awards were very nice duffel bags. Everyone in my group qualified for Boston. Thanks to Albany for putting on a great race!

I ran the half today and would run it again. My biggest beef is the shirt - there is not a woman's shirt and my small fits like a dress. For that much money, you have to step up and get the swag right. I really liked the course - primarily running through tree-lined neighborhoods. There were old trees covered in Spanish moss, and the magnolias and camillas were in bloom. It is NOT flat, but instead has gradual inclines. There is no crowd support but the volunteers were enthusiastic and well positioned. All intersections were manned. The actual course was never in question. There was no shortage of water or Gatorade. The stops were not consistent - e.g., the Gatorade was first at some and the water was first at others.

The race started right on time but it would have been nice for an 8:00 start. It was chilly at 7:00 a.m. We stayed at the Comfort Suites - $90 got us a huge room with a microwave and fridge. Breakfast started at 5 a.m. and they gave us a late check out 1:00 so everyone got to shower. Friday night dinner was a challenge, so I recommend getting to the restaurant of your choice early. We waited over an hour (arrived at 6:45). One of our group qualified for Boston and another set a PR. Those who ran the marathon claimed the course was long - .4 of a mile, specifically, and they cut every corner.

This is a great marathon for first-timers and veterans looking for a PB. It is very well organized, with plenty of volunteers (who are all amazingly supportive) and water stations. The course is very flat and very fast. As a 50-year-old guy with 13 marathons, I ran my fastest time in 10 years! If you are looking for a well run, small race, don't miss this date. Oh, and the shirt for the marathon is a cool windbreaker-type - very cool!

This is by far the fastest of 6 marathons I have run including Huntsville and Memphis. The porta-potties were hilarious at the start. Thank goodness we are good athletes or we would have been hurt. Very flat for Georgia. Not too flat, like a beach course, where you work the same muscle group for 26 miles. I was in the 3:20 pace group and our leader ran nearly perfect splits. I qualified for Boston and was elated.

I was not impressed by Albany! They had rocking porta-johns and lousy jacket (can't read black lettering on blue background, and it says nothing about running the marathon). They advertised a tech shirt, and I would have rather had a shirt. When I requested a shirt, they gave me a half-marathon shirt. I told them that I didn't want a shirt that says I ran a half marathon when I ran a full. They didn't get it? Half marathoners got a better shirt. There were more people out on my training runs than at this marathon. The expo closed before the time listed, and all the booths were closed by the time I got there. The 3:20 pace group that I was in was great, and the organization definitely had some upsides, but overall I wouldn't recommend it.

This race does what communities that have great organization and support should do: put on a great event! The course had just enough change from flat stretches to bring in the other parts of the legs. The volunteers were wonderful. For me, the lack of many spectators made no difference because the volunteers were so great with their enthusiasm and ability to get the logistics right. The finish area had all that made for a relaxing and scenic end to the race.

Just one small suggestion: At the start, other racers and I could not hear the preliminaries, national anthem, description of the course, etc., due to poor positioning of the sound system. But everyone could hear the loud cannon shot for the start!

This was a wonderful marathon! It was my 19th so far and definitely one of my favorites. The course is nice and flat, and the volunteers and spectators are friendly, helpful, enthusiastic, and many in number! There were ample water stations - more than I needed, but that is never a bad thing. I broke 4 hours for the first time ever, giving me a 20-minute personal record. Can't beat that!

As the many, many reviews state below, this race is fantastic in many ways. The course is fantastic (if you like flat courses; if not, this is a quad-killer), the organization is top-notch, and the spectators are the friendliest anywhere.

Enough really cannot be said about this race, and the people that put it on. I highly encourage everyone to take a trip to Albany, GA in the early Spring for the Snickers Energy Bar Marathon. It's worth the effort.

I agree with all of the positive comments and would like to add one about the course design. The full and the 1/2 split in the first mile with the full taking a 4-mile warm-up loop. When we rejoined the course, most of the 1/2 runners had already passed and we received the full attention of the enthusiastic water stop volunteers. At some point, the 1/2 took a shortcut across the loop course. I think this design gets the most use of the porta-potties, water, and spectators without ever over-loading. It was probably easier on the volunteers too. Great job!!